1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing device performing software license authentication, a communication system, and a software license authentication method.
2. Background Art
As the background art of this technical field, JP-A-10-143363 describes a technique which allows the succession of a license of software being operated in a certain device to a different device. JP-A-10-143363 describes a technique in which a software license issuing device having a software resale function installs a software license in a device different from a device, in which the software license is installed early, and information relating to the license is transferred between a software installing device and the license issuing device (see Abstract and paragraphs [0006] and [0013]).
JP-A-10-143363 describes a technique in which a software license is installed in a device different from a device, in which the software license is installed early, through a software license issuing device as an external device. However, when devices, such as a gateway device and a server, are provided inside a network (hereinafter, referred to as a closed network) unique to a communication carrier or a service provider and is physically or logically separated from an external Internet, communication other than a service to be provided by each device is blocked. For this reason, even when a software license issuing device which communicates with a device inside the closed network is provided outside the closed network, it is not possible to perform license authentication and to allow license succession between the devices inside the closed network.